This application seeks support for participation of American scientists in the 9th International Maillard Symposium. This symposium is the next in a series of inter- disciplinary conferences of food and biomedical scientists who have met at ~3 year intervals since 1979. The Maillard Reaction encompasses a broad range of chemistry that occurs during the processing and cooking of foods, but also contributes to the chemical modification of body proteins during normal aging and in age-related chronic diseases, including atherosclerosis, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. This symposium brings together ~250 scientists from academic and research institutions, government and industry, drawn equally from Europe, Australasia and the Americas. The goal of the conference is to foster scientific exchange and collaboration among the participants and to stimulate and enhance research into nutritional, toxicological and biomedical aspects of the Maillard reaction. The 9th International Maillard Symposium will convene in Munich, Germany on Sept- 15, 2007. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Heinz Breer, University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, a winner of the Leibniz Prize in Germany and an internationally recognized expert in the science of odor perception. Each of the following four days begins with plenary lectures in the food and biomedical sciences, presented in joint session for all attendees. The plenary sessions are followed by 2-3 parallel morning and afternoon sessions, each co-chaired by a senior and junior scientist and starting with sub-plenary presentations by the co-chairs. Chairs and presenters are, in part, invited in advance by the Scientific Advisory Committee, and, in part, selected by the Committee based on abstract submissions. Approximately 20% of the time allotted to each speaker is set aside for discussion and questions. Poster Sessions, scheduled to begin at the end of the second day of the meeting, provide a mechanism for informal exchange and for recognition and reward of outstanding young investigators. Session topics will address: The Chemistry of the Maillard Reaction; Methods for Analysis of Maillard Products; Effects of the Maillard Reaction on Food Color, Flavor and Texture; Nutritional and Toxicological Aspects of the Maillard Reaction; The Role of Lipids and Antioxidants in Maillard Reactions; the Maillard Reaction in Aging and Chronic Disease (atherosclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease); AGE Receptors, Signal Transduction and Inflammation; and Therapeutic Inhibition of the Maillard Reaction. The Proceedings of these symposia are always published: the Proceedings of the 8th International Maillard symposium appearing as Vol. 1043 of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]